Right Where We Belong
by CaptainFluke
Summary: Following Rage and co in a dystopian future with a harsh world, the survivors must band together to overthrow the villainous Ragican Empire that has decimated and warped Earth into a poisonous husk populated by vicious animals and savages.
1. Chapter 1- Scavengers

**Chapter 1 - Scavengers**

* * *

The man pushed his hand through his rough black hair and took a deep breath. His glasses held together by tape rested on his dirty face. Looking up, his eyes fixed on the grand wooden door in front of him that stood strongly amongst the wreckage of an old building. His black and red clothes were made up of scraps sewn together to create sturdy armour to protect against the harsh conditions of the shattered world they inhabited. Several pockets and pouches lined his jacket as 3 bandoliers held a variety of bullets and seemingly home-made weaponry. Clenching his fist tightly around the revolver that resembled nothing more then scrap metals and a few glowing gems joined in the form of a gun, he exhaled. Flicking a switch on the weapon it jumped to life, glowing a bright red and humming as parts of the barrel began to rotate, gaining speed. Pulling it up and pointing at the door, he looked down the sights and tightened his grip as the humming and glow continued to build in intensity. A smirk crosses his face as he pulls the trigger sending a powerful red bolt of light that flew towards the door. It's impact instantly demolished the door sending large chunks of wood flying back into the room beyond, leaving nothing more than a gaping hole and splinters. Clicking the gun back off and putting it back down to his side, "Well that was smashing" he smugly states. He is met by silence.

"oh come on man, that one was good!"

"5/10" a voice responds. Another man gets up from a piece or nearby wreckage. Taller than his friend and dressed primarily in a dark blue, his light brown hair frames a longer and sterner face. His long overcoat hides the similar selection of weapons as he carries a large yet sturdy-looking backpack. Picking up a heavier rifle and pushing himself up he heads towards the still-smoking hole in the door and begins to pass through.

"stop saying that an- hey don't walk away, wait up!" the first man states as he hurriedly tries to put the constructed revolver back into a side holster whilst picking up his own backpack from the floor.

Entering the room he catches up to the man in blue who is staring off into the distance, "You know, you could at least try to HUMOUR me"

"shhh"

"I mean i'm just trying to make you laugh"

"SHH"

"and it's not that hard to just preten-"

"Rage shut up!" he shouts as he turns to face him

"but whyyy?" he moans

"Because we're not alone" he adds, before pointing to some tracks in the otherwise untouched dust on the ground. Rage quickly stops moaning before putting his hand to his revolver and pulling it back out. The other man heads over to the tracks and kneels next to them, putting his rifle to a side and running his finger along the inside of one of the footprints.

"Any excuse to pretend to be batman" rage mutters under his breath before scanning the room for any other signs of life. The building seemed almost completely intact with only a few holes in the high ceiling letting thin strips of light in illuminating the otherwise pitch black hall. Thick wooden arches ran across the roof, slightly fire damaged and sodden but otherwise intact and supporting the weight of the roof. The walls made of large stone blocks that had no obvious way in or out; the only two entrances included the door they'd blown through and one partially obscured by dark at the other end of the room. Where the tracks led. Rage clicked his gun to life as it began to spin and light up, casting a feint red glow over his surrounding area.

"Hey hollow, you about done playing detective over there?" he nervously states as his eyes continuously scan the walls around him.

"votors. Probably about 5" Hollow states before clicking his gun on. It's blue crystal at the hilt pulses as it lights up two strips along either side of the barrel before creating a small, constant spark at the end. "You ready?"

"Have you SEEN the colour of my crystal?" Rage responds whilst holding his gun up. Hollow looks at him silently "Ready?...Red-ee?"

"you're such a faggot" Hollow sighs as he turns round and begins following the tracks.

Walking steadily to the back of the room they edge closer and closer to the second door, which hasn't faired well over time and lies half collapsed leaving an easy route in or out of the next room, a room in complete darkness. Reaching into a pocket Hollow pulls out a small metal disc with a bulb on the top and bottom, which he holds out on the palm of his hand. Pushing the top down it clicks into life and begins to whir and spin as it takes off, hovering slightly over their heads. A bright spotlight kicks in underneath that illuminates the floor around them as the little UFO darts around back and forth lighting up various parts of the area.

"Juke, light it up" Hollow states as he signals towards the door in front of them. It beeps in response before shining it's light on the door and passing through it. Guns at the ready, Hollow and Rage slowly walk side by side following the the small disc. Stepping through the smashed door they find themselves in a pitch black corridor with the only sound coming from the steady hum of their weapons and the lightUFO. The glow from each weapons casts light across Rage and Hollow's faces as they nervously step forward making sure there is nothing that can jump out at them and tear them to shreds, as votors like to do. The sound of the UFO beeping signals them reaching a dead end in the form of another door, this one seemingly still in one place and more importantly, sealed. As rage raises his gun to shoot through it, hollow puts his hand on his shoulder and points towards a hole in the wall a few feet across where the tracks go down. Putting his fingers to his lips and silently mouthing shhh to Rage, he grabs his gun crouches down and begins to shuffle along the corridor, the ufo quickly following him. Although Rage shows obvious hesitancies with this plan, the threat of nearby enemies means he cannot voice them and, finding himself alone with no source of light, begrudgingly follows Hollow into the tunnel.

As they slowly shuffle along the cramped tunnel dug into the earth under the building they grew tenser, tightening their grips on the weapons that have kept them safe in the wasteland so far. Coming closer and closer to the end of the tunnel, Hollow stops and whispers "Juke, dark." The light source turns off plunging Rage and Hollow into almost complete darkness as the glow from their weapon-crystals barely illuminates their faces and the tunnel around them. Rage's breath picks up, becoming more panicked as he begins constantly checking behind him; Hollow remains transfixed by the opening ahead as he slowly and smoothly shuffles towards it. Stopping as he reaches the end and taking a second to steady himself he listens into the darkness for any kind of sound or movement. The only thing to be heard is the light hum of the guns and the heavy, nervous breaths they find themselves unable to control. The room beyond has a few thin slivers of light that break through more broken roof tiles yet they only illuminate empty patches of floor that seems to be a few feet below the tunnel they are crouched in. Leaning in close to the steadily spinning ufo he whispers "Juke, other side of the wall, then sunlight" which is met by an acknowledging beep. It floats off into the darkness leaving Rage and Hollow sat in the tunnel, guns pointed into the room. Seconds pass, but they feel much longer as they wait for the small robot. Suddenly there is a loud beep from the other side of the room met almost instantly by a bright white light that seems to shoot out of the entire UFO, illuminating the whole room and the wretched monsters inside. Three raptor like beasts, almost 4 feet tall with long, blackened claws and razor sharp teeth bellow a ferocious screech as they turn to look up at the sudden appearance of the blinding light. Their leathery hides covering their bodies and their heads remnant of a bird of prey with a plume of grey and black feathers sprouting from the top. Their eyes, a dark yellow that almost glow against the grey and black skin.

Hollow and Rage act instantly as the beasts turn away from them and begin to try to rip the UFO apart, which hovers just out of their reach. Pulling up his rifle and clenching the trigger Hollow fires a long beam of blue lightning from the end that tears through the body of one of the votors, searing it in half. Rage fires two shots over Hollows shoulder, the first just skimming past one of the vicious beasts which turns to look at the pair. The second punches a large hole straight through it's head sending a splatter of blood across the floor as it's limp body drops. The third begins to charge towards the tunnel now and lets out another spine chilling screech which is cut short by a beam of blue lightning severing half of it's head straight off it's body, the momentum carrying the corpse forward a few more paces before it drops dead at the foot of the tunnel. Before they have a second they hear another Votor screech from where they had just come from. "erm, problem!" Rage shouts as he pulls out a second revolver, clicks it into life and fires a shot down the tunnel which burns a hole straight through a Votor heading towards them but reveals there are more behind. Hollow drops into the open room and begins scanning for an exit, with only one potential door out. "Hold them there!" he shouts as Rage pulls his other revolver round and fires bolt after bolt down the tunnel. "The fuck else am I supposed to do?!" he replies as he slaughters the vicious animals that are edging closer and closer, the corpses of the fallen beasts slowly clogging the tunnel. "Juke light it up!"Hollow shouts as he kicks through the rotten door and points his rifle into the door. The small robot beeps before drifting into the room and illuminating it, revealing an empty and dusty room with a chest high window that leads outside.

The tunnel Rage is in has been almost completely blocked off by the corpses of the vicious beasts, however there are still more pushing from behind which are safe from the bullets that keep pounding into the previous corpses. "Could do with a hand here!" He shouts worriedly to Hollow who grabs his rifle and turns and aims it down the tunnel. "Drop!" he shouts as Rage throws himself out the tunnel as the beasts get only a few feet away. Almost instantly Hollow pulls the trigger sending a long, heavy beam straight through the tunnel that slices through the corpses and the beasts just behind. Rage heads into the other room and reaches for a communication device on his shoulder.

"Fluke! There is nothing here, we need out now!" He shouts

"Who put you in such a lovely mood?" the voice responds

Rage turns to help fire shots at the votors that have begun almost dropping out of the tunnels as the pile of corpses gets pushed out onto the floor as Hollow backs into the room still firing shots

"Now is NOT the time Fluke!" Rage angrily responds

"It never is, head out that window and run straight. Oh and try not to die"

"We'll do our best" Rage responds as he pulls his hand away, draws his other gun and fires a shot at the chest high window which explodes out into the street. The votors are falling out of the tunnel in greater numbers now as the pair head towards the newly created exit and climb through, continuously firing back. Jumping out the window into the street outside and Landing on the floor first, Rage reaches into a pouch and pulls out and heavy red disk with a small central light. Hitting the light, which begins flicking on and off, he frisbees it back into the building as it sails over the heads of the numerous votors in the room and latches onto the back wall. Hollow turns and jumps out of the window just as it lets off one final beep and creates a huge explosion which sends a large shockwave of fire across the room, instantly burning the votors inside to a crisp.

"I'm on fire today!"he smugly states as he helps Hollow off the ground, who gives him a quizzical look.

"oh seriously man, not even after I save us?!" Rage winges, but is interrupted as several piercingly loud screeches are heard from the huge building they just broke free from. They look at each other and begin to sprint away down an old, destroyed street which is lined with burnt out and rusted cars and collapsed buildings. Behind them they hear the sound of votors breaking out of the building and hungrily chasing after them, getting closer and closer. Rage turns to look over his shoulder seeing dozens of the rabid beasts 40 paces behind, but rapidly gaining.

Suddenly over the top of the building they hear a tremendous roar as a jagged black ship tears over the top of the building and begins heading down the street. Four heavy wings stretch out of a large central hub as two large pulse jets propel it forward. As it passes over the top two gun turrets drop down with a girl and a guy sitting in each one. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MERICA!" the guy shouts as he begins to open fire on the masses of votors running underneath, the heavy bullets easily tearing through 3 or 4 at a time. The girl also opens fire whilst innocently mumbling to herself about bunnies, both gunners easily cutting through the beasts. Rage and Hollow continue to run forward as the plane soars over their heads and pulls round in front of them, dropping one side and dropping two metal ropes down. The two turrets still continuously fire bullets over Rage and Hollow's heads as they sprint closer and closer to the ropes and to freedom, managing to reach them and latch on just as the votors catch up. The craft pulls up and away as Hollow and Rage are yanked out of harms way and the mass of vicious animals gather angrily where they just stood. The pair breathe a sigh of relief as they swing below the craft and watch as the building fades into the distance. "So, only 5 is there?" Rage states. Hollow gives him a dirty look. "well at least we're ahead of the pack" Rage adds, chuckling to himself. Hollow sighs and punches Rage in the arm.


	2. Chapter 2- SONGBIRD

**Chapter 2 - SONGBIRD**

* * *

The ship continued to steadily soar through the skies passing over the wasteland and out to open territory. Its dual engines on the back thrusting it forward as various other smaller pulse engines dotted around the crafts shell allow it almost complete manoeuvrability in the hands of an accomplished pilot. Its sleek black jagged wings and hull mirror that of a bastardised mix an old B-2 stealth jet and something Batman would fly. Along the side a decorative decal; 'SONGBIRD'. Inside, the hull of the ship is sturdy and full of several different racks and holding bays with a varied assortment of supplies and knick knacks clogging up most of the interior. The side hatch currently opened upwards leaving a gaping hole where two thick metal ropes went out, holding up Rage and Hollow underneath. A small ladder one on end leading to the cockpit and opposite, a heavy door leading to the engine room. On the floor, two large irises that lead down to the turrets underneath, each with their own personal touches; one with cute drawings of animals and plants labelled 'The Bunny Hole' and the other a picture of a large wave with 'TYDE' scrawled across, which slowly begins to open as a seat rises up. A tall, well built guy with scruffy blonde hair and stubble framing his obviously ecstatic face, a large smile beaming from ear to ear. Taking off the straps over his chest and pushing a console out from in front of him which folds up into the roof, he gets himself off of the chair as the iris underneath him closes and walks over to a panel by the side of the open bay door. Wearing a grotty white wife beater and blue jeans with heavy boots, his muscular trunk-like arms covered in dirt and oil adding to his imposing build yet his body language and expressions are that of an excited child. Pressing a button on the intercom and with a thick Colorado accent he calls out "ahh Fluke that was so much fucking fun man, we gotta do that more! Alright, bringing 'em up."

"Can't we just leave that cunt down there?" a voice behind him says, its cute and bubbly American tone juxtaposed with the coarse words being said . As the iris underneath her closes and seals, she pushes her console up and out from in front of her and walks to the opening, looking out over the side. Her long blonde hair and bright red fringe standing out amongst the dull and dreary ship interior and blowing in the wind. Her otherwise dull, dark leather vest and trousers adorned by dozens of tiny trinkets and ornaments she has pinned which jingle against each other as she moves around. Using one hand to hold onto the side she leans out over the edge looking down at the two scavengers dangling below the ship.

"You wanna deal with him whining when we get back?" Tyde asks, as he flicks a switch on the panel and takes a step back.

"Eugh he's going to do that anyway!" she responds as a large winch clicks into life and the two ropes begin to be slowly pulled in.

"Well I'll deal with 'em then, you go check on Fluke. See how long til we break" he adds whilst punching several different bits of info into the panel. The girl half-skips over to the nearby ladder and clambers up almost instantly, passing through a hatch in the roof and disappearing out of sight.

Rage and Hollow's conversation was slowly getting louder as they got closer to the ship as Tyde lent out of the open hatch door.

"Look, all I'm saying is, that punch really hurt" Rage moaned

"I KNOW! YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR THE PAST 30 MINUTES" Hollow angrily responds, obviously frustrated at being kept in such close proximity to Rage alone for so long.

"...heh heh, more like...hurty minutes" Rage adds, laughing to himself.

"oh god Tyde please just cut me loose, I can't deal with this any more" Hollow pleads as he looks up at the burly American now only a few feet above their heads.

"ha ha! Don't worry man I got you now" he happily replies, pressing another button that brings the pair to a stop just underneath the opening. Reaching an arm out he grabs hollow and pulls him up onto the ship then begins unbuckling his harness. Rage, still dangling just below the opening shouts up "Hey Tyde! Don't leave me hanging!" as Hollow physically shudders.

"I've changed my mind" he states to Tyde "want to just cut him loose?." Tyde chuckles before taking the last latch off of Hollow and turning back to Rage, holding out an arm and pulling him up. Taking a few moments to stretch out his legs and enjoy the feeling of solid floor, Hollow walks over to an empty space on on a shelf and drops his backpack onto it. Suddenly, the girl slides back down the ladder and lands heavily, her boots making a loud thump that makes both Hollow and Rage jump. Looking over at Hollow, her eyes light up and a big grin passes across her face. "Hello Hollow!" she squeals enthusiastically before almost running over and giving him a hug, her strength taking him by surprise. "Hey Pocket" he tiredly respond before taking a hand and lightly patting her on the head, still unsure how to react to her eccentricities. As she turns her head and makes eye contact with Rage who is still being unbuckled by Tyde, her face changes to a grimace and she lets go of Hollow. Tyde pulls the last bit of the harness off of Rage and heads back over to the console, pressing a few more buttons that pull the two ropes up into the roof and close the large metal hatch on the side of the hull, cutting out the loud sound of wind rushing by the ship. Pocket takes a few steps towards Rage who is slowly getting up to his feet.

"I'm surprised you're not votor food yet" she teases

"I get your point, next time I'll make sure I get theirs" he replies. As his joke sinks in, Pocket finds herself unable to stop a huge smile breaking over her face which then leads to her bursting out into hysterical giggling, doubling over. Rage, happy someone has appreciated one of his jokes also begins smiling and begins dumping his stuff off to the side.

"All sealed in here bro, whenever you're ready" Tyde says down the intercom

"Alright man, heading up now. Up for a drink when we're back?" Fluke responds as Tyde nods and smiles, "you know it bro!."

The ship begins to pull upwards as more power is put into the engines. As Tyde heads into the engine room, Hollow goes over to the ladder and climbs into the cockpit leaving the still smug Rage and the still in-hysterics Pocket alone in their madness in the hull. Pulling himself up through the hatch on the roof he dusts himself off before getting off his knees, remembering to duck before hitting his head on the much lower ceiling. The walls behind him angled and thick for protection, leading round to the front where three chairs sat in front of a large dashboard full of buttons and levers. Similar to an air plane, three chairs are bolted into the ground with the central one further forward than the others. On the left, a large curved screen currently showed a map of the earth and their location, steadily beeping. The right had a series of values and numbers rapidly flicking across several different panels. In the center, in front of the huge windows at the front of the cockpit was the drivers seat which had panels in front, above and to the sides covered in countless buttons, pulleys, monitors and levers with two central joysticks for each hand and precise control of the ship. Although the back of the chair was faced towards hollow he could see blonde flicks of hair over the top and the band of a thick black headset on the pilot. Taking a few slow steps forward, Hollow manages to sit down in the chair on the left before spinning round to face the pilot, Fluke, who turned to face him smiling.

"Hey man! How's it going?" Fluke asks happily, taking a hand off of a joystick and bumping fists with Hollow. His blonde hair, pushed up to one side was framed by the heavy headset he wore and a pair of goggles on his forehead. Wearing a black t shirt and a dirty, open denim shirt over the top with rolled up sleeves, heavy black boots and black skinny jeans, and combined with his wild hair he had a remarkably scruffy image that played well with his bright and happy face.

"it's good man, found nothing though which sucks" Hollow responds slightly downtrodden

"so I heard." Fluke turns back to look out the window as he pushes a few buttons above his head and pulls the two joysticks further back, easing the plane up towards the thick clouds. "We'll be back soon though, and you can blame Gubi then" Fluke adds, before grinning and pulling back even further. Pushing a button on the headset he calls out in a slightly put-on pilot voice "Attention ladies and gents, this is your pilot speaking. Shortly we'll be breaking through the uhhh cloud line and will very soon be at the uuhhh destination." Hollow cracks a smile as he looks out the window at the rapidly approaching clouds that cast huge shadows across the land below. "We hear would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us and uhhhh hope you enjoy your stay at uhhhh The Lady Vengeance, the last bastion of humanity." Letting go of the com button, Fluke flicks two more switches then pushes down on a pedal, increasing the speed of the ship. "Man I love this bit" he smiles as they pass into the thick clouds, Hollows view of the outside world becoming completely obscured by the thick white smog leaving no clear vision out. Fluke however is staring almost directly ahead as if he can see through the clouds to where they are going, which Hollow muses could be a possibility as he has probably done this so many times. "you might want to look away" Fluke states, pulling his goggles onto his eyes. Hollow follows the advice and turns his head and within moments they burst out through the top and a brilliant light fills the cabin. Taking a few moments to rub them and regain his vision he turns back round, squinting. The sun now casting light directly over them and the top of the white clouds that run as far as the eye can see. The only break in this serene image, floating slowly just over the tops of the cloud line is a ship the size of a small city that looks like a hybrid between an old pirate boat and a battleship. Huge fans and engines allow it to steadily float as tall white sails that veer off from almost every direction keep it balanced and let it turn. It's top, a huge flat platform with dozens of large turrets that seem to defy gravity with the size and thickness of their barrels point out in most directions. The body almost shaped like a triangle with a sharp point at the front which curves smoothly and runs all the way to the back where a large stack of engines lay nestled at the rear of the ship. Although still at a distance it's sheer size leaves Hollow in a state of disbelief and awe every time he gets to see it, questioning the engineering that went into such a beast of a ship. Other smaller jets like SONGBIRD can be seen flying in and out of various holes and landing pads along the ship as it teems with life. Almost all of the remnants of humanity living on it's many sprawling decks.

"There she is" Fluke states, interrupting Hollows trail of thought. "Home."


	3. Chapter 3 - Home is Where The Guns Are

**Chapter 3**

**Home is Where The Guns Are**

* * *

Pocket, after finally pulling herself back from hysterical laughter clambers onto her feet and lets out a heavy breath before half-skipping over to the panel by the door and pressing a button "Hey Flukie-poo, you want me to start moving this cargo?" she calls down the speaker

"That'd be lovely Pookie, Hollow is gonna come down and give you a hand too" Fluke replied through the intercom. Pocket nods and flicks the switch again before heading over to one of the overfilled racks of bags, crates and rucksacks and starts pulling things off of the shelves and launching them to the back of the hull. The latch to the cockpit opens as Hollow climbs down the ladder and heavily drops onto the floor to find Pocket quickly and expertly moving these heavy stacks of equipment whilst humming to herself. "Hey, what do you need me to do?" Hollow asks, not wanting to mess up the maniacal system she may or may not have in place as Pocket clambers up to grab a bag from the top of a rack. "Songbird's getting some work done so we're taking most of this trash off" she replies, throwing down a few heavy bags before jumping back down herself "Leave anything with a yellow and orange symbol on it, like this" she adds, before grabbing a small lockbox nearby and shoving it in Hollow's face. Hollow, slightly offset by her constantly excited demeanour hesistates a moment, before smiling "sure." Pocket smiles back before quickly spinning around and putting the lockbox back where it was, then grabbing the bags she threw down and dragging them to the back. Hollow joins her as they both begin stripping the walls of most of its items. After a few trips, he turns to Rage who is still sitting by his bags, fiddling with his revolver. "You seriously not gonna help here Rage?" he asks, annoyed.

"ueghhh" Rage sighs in an over-exaggerated manner "I'm pretty tired from all that exploring and almost dying I did" He adds. Hollow's brow twinges in anger but before he has a chance to respond, pocket throws a large brown rucksack full of items directly at Rage, hitting him in the gut and cutting him off mid sentence. "See? Now you're helping!" she says in her sweet, upbeat yet heavily laden with sarcasm tone before continuing with what they were doing. Hollow laughs and also carries on as Rage rolls over to one side, grasping his stomach and trying to regain his breath.

* * *

Fluke guided the ship closer and closer to The Lady Vengeance, the sun flowing into the cabin and illuminating the otherwise dreary and mechanical insides. Pulling up closer to the mammoth floating city reaffirmed its immense size compared to Songbird, with one of its many sails almost 4 times larger than the small black ship. As Fluke pulled up and over the top of the deck he passed over the dozens of people walking around and working on the surface of the ship. Some, adventurers and explorers but most are civilians; People who had nowhere else to turn. The deck itself covered in a mix of weapons for protection and homes and marketstands made up of nothing more than cloth tied together and tables. Adults and the elderly, those who couldn't fight slowly walk along the rows of tents having to weave in and out of gun emplacements thatfill them with a mix of fear and safety. Their eyes look up to the sky as they notice songbird, with stories of its crew affirming it as a living legend amongst the survivors. Turning the ship and drifting it along the length of the hull, Fluke took it in low and passed over the heads of some of the kids playing, making sure to give them a close enough fly-by so the roar of the engine gave them something to get excited about as they all smiled and pointed up, waving maniacally. Cracking into a half smile, he peeled off and headed to the tail-end of the ship where a small tower stood tall against the sails,guns and propellers. The tower, the hub of the ship had large glass panes that brimmed with life. Allowing an almost completely 360 view of the area, it housed the best, the brightest and the leaders of the last bastion of humanity. It housed hope.

Pressing a few buttons on a panel in front of him, Fluke's mic lit up.

"Ashley, Fluke here. Bringing Songbird in"

"Sweet man, take it to W4, it's all set up for repairs" Ashley responded, his relaxed voice punctuated by the sound of toking something.

"Nice. Gubi didn't stop you smoking in there?" Fluke responds, as he turns the ship and heads to his new location at the base of the tower. Ashley takes another drag before responding

"haha nahh man, what's he gonna do? No one else could organise the shitloads of ships he has like I can" he chuckles, before taking another drag and adding "and I doubt I could do it without being high. This shit is stressful"

"I can imagine" Fluke responds as Ashley chuckles again.

* * *

"All done!" Pocket gleefully shouts as she stands with her hands on her hips in front of the large pile of junk that filled the back of the ship. Hollow and Rage, tired by the physical exertion of lugging around the gear and without the limitless supply of energy Pocket seems to have, collapse onto the floor breathing heavily. She spins round to face them both and questions"what's up guys?"

Rage attempts to respond but all he can manage is a few mismatched words between heavy breaths"...sky...plane" he wheezes before collapsing onto his back, right in front of Tyde who bursts into laughter. "ahh Pocket you've only gone and broke Rage!" he muses. Now somehow dirtier then before, Tyde walks over to a nearby cloth and begins wiping his hands down. The intercom cracks into life "Alright guys you might wanna hold on to something, we're landing." Pocket instantly heads over to her chair and jumps in, as Hollow and Rage look around slightly worried. "Hollow take mine" Tyde's voice boomed out in his American drawl as he took a few steps over to the still-collapsed Rage and picked him up with ease. "I'll get Rage" He adds, his big smile beaming. Not wasting any time, Hollow rose to his feet and heads over to the other chair, sinking into its large size. Tyde holds Rage in one of his thick arms and takes them both to a side before reaching up and pushing one of his large hands against the roof of the ship. "That'll do" he states, before slightly widening his stance and tightening his grip around Rage's midsection. A few seconds later, the craft touches down heavily, shaking the chairs and making some of the pile in the back tumble down as Rage and Tyde sway slightly, yet Tyde holds his ground. Releasing his vicelike grip around Rage and letting him drop onto his feet, Tyde smiles and heads over to the panel by the door, pressing a few keys it swings open, revealing the hanger they've landed in. A dozen engineers litter the room that has huge ship parts along it's perimeter, some broken, some new. Pressing a few more keys, a ramp begins to extend out from underneath the open hatch and braces itself against the floor below. Rage and Hollow walk over to their belongings and head over to the ramp, taking a moment to getting used to being on solid-ish ground again. As they wait, Pocket who has also picked up her own bunny shaped backpack pushes past them and happily runs off down the ramp, past the engineers and out the door. Just as she goes through she bumps into someone coming in from the other way, who stumbles slightly back. Pocket is unfazed and keeps going, shouting "SORRY!" over her shoulder. Fluke slides down the ladder, with his own bag slung over his shoulder and hits the ground. "Hey Rage!" he beams happily as he walks over to the top of the ramp where they are still stood. "Nice to see you're not dead" he adds, before patting Rage on the back and walking down the ramp.

"You knew I wasn't dead when you picked me up!" Rage responded, slightly confused. Spinning around to face him whilst walking backwards Fluke replied "Oh, I meant Pocket. I was sure she'd get sick of you this time" and he turned back round laughing and headed over to a nearby engineer. Rage's face dropped as he turned to Hollow, who was smirking to himself. "He's joking right? She doesn't really want me dead?" Rage asked, a sense of worry in his voice. Hollow shrugged, still smirking, and walked off down the ramp. "Oh come on guys! Seriously!" Rage shouted out, catching up with his friend.

"I don't know man" Hollow said, as they both reached the bottom of the ramp and walked towards the door "What I DO know is that i'm looking forward to going to read my book and a cup of tea"

"But...but how can someone not LIKE me?!" Rage added, still facing a crisis over the joke. Hollow turned to look at him and was about to respond with a sarcastic remark before a strong polish voice was heard over the speakers in the hanger.

"Fluke, Rage, Hollow. Report to deck immediately." It's tone official and quite blunt causing the three to look at each other.

"Any Idea what this is about?" Hollow asked Rage, who shrugged. "Eugh" Hollow sighed "i'm never going to be able to finish my book" he moaned.

"HEY TYDE!" Fluke shouted towards Songbird, as the burly American came to the hatch at the top of the ramp. "I've gotta go do something, you cool to take over repairs?" The usual smile broke out over Tyde's face as he put his thumb up and responded "No problem bro!"

"Love ya buddy!"Fluke replied, as he picked his bag up and headed over to Rage and Hollow by the door. "So, shall we go see what we've done wrong now then?" he smirked as the three headed out.

* * *

The deck was a large room at the top of the tower. In center, a huge circular map with holograms projected onto it from above showed the terrain of the earth beneath them. Around the border of the room, a small amount of people worked on computers each with various different buttons and keypads controlling the various parts of The Lady Vengeance. The windows stood tall and allowed anyone in the room to stare out for miles around, due to it's position at the top of the tower. In front of these windows stood a tall man with long ginger hair and a well trimmed beard. His hands held behind his back, he stood watching the world outside; The world he was in command of. His sharp, thin features marked by glasses and a long, red overcoat that reached the floor; Its high collar framing his face. His dress sense and posture carried with it a sense of nobility and power and his eyes carried a weight that only those who had seen horrifying things could understand. His clothing was smart and well kept, a long engraved sword hung from his belt and a heavyset pistol from the other side. "Juke" he spoke, his thick polish accent adding to the sense of power and mystery he held. Next to him, on a small blue circle, a holographic figure appeared. Standing the same height as a man, it had a human characteristic and design to it that almost seemed real, if it wasn't for the occasional flickering and eerie glow it gave off. Similarly dressed in quite regal clothing, the hologram had messy blonde hair and pale skin, standing with a similar posture. "Yes Gubiak?" It responded, it's voice deep and soothing with a Finnish accent.

"Are they all on their way?" Gubiak responded, eyes still firmly locked on what was outside

"Yes, they are all currently heading up. The three of them will arrive in precisely 20 seconds"

"and the other two?"

"Slightly longer, about five minutes. They were in the workshop"

"Good, thank you Juke"

"Any time, m'lord" Juke replied, with a sense of jovial humour. Gubiak turned to face him as the hologram smiled, bowed and disappeared. "Sometimes I wonder why Evanz gave him that personality" Gubiak muttered to himself as he turns round and heads to the map in the center of the room. Moments later, the doors on the other side of the room opened as Fluke, Rage and Hollow make their way inside, towards the map. As they reach the map, Gubiak takes a few steps round to get closer to them "I heard that the building was empty" He stated in his strict matter-of-fact tone

"Well, a hello would've been nice" Fluke sarcastically remarked as Gubiak shot him a glare, which quickly shut him up.

"No it was dry, most we found was a hive of Votors" Hollow spoke, Gubiak taking his attention from Fluke and turning to Hollow. Fluke used this time to head around and prop himself up on a nearby console.

"How many?" Gubiak asked

"Hollow said 5-"Rage quipped but was interrupted by a sharp jab to his upper arm. "Ahh you dick!" he replied, grasping his injury as Hollow continued talking

"A couple dozen, we blew the building and burnt what was there but it seemed pretty infested"

Gubiak paused for a moment, before heading round to the other side of the map and reaching into the center. With the movement of his hands it began to shift and change, certain parts becoming larger and entering focus. "That could be a good thing" Gubiak mused. Hollow, slightly confused questioned "How can that be a good thing?" From behind them a voice spoke out

"It means that the Ragicans didn't drain that land yet." Turning around to face this new voice from the door they spot a young looking man in a long, white coat and messy brown hair. The coat has rolled up sleeves and several oil stains and holes in it and covers thick, leather armour and padding. His dark trousers lead in to heavy boots and he seems to carry a 'mad genius' vibe about him. However the most distinguishing feature is his left arm, the forearm and hand completely replaced by a well made robotic prosthetic. Although human in design it is black and metal with a built in touchscreen running on the inside and cogs can be seen constantly churning and turning inside. However it moves with the same dexterity and precision that his human arm can.

"EVANZ!" Fluke shouts happily before jumping down from the computer terminal he has used as a seat, running over and embracing him in a strong hug. The scientist seems taken back by this interaction, but has slowly gotten used to it. Pulling back from the hug, Fluke ruffles Evanz's already dishevelled hair and smiles "Man, that new thruster on my ship? Fuckin A!" Evanz smiles at this compliment, however his modesty is interrupted by the sound of Juke

"Where's my thanks?" He sarcastically remarks, having appeared on a nearby pad by the map. Fluke smiles before walking over to Juke and pointing at him "Hey, if I could hug you too Juke I would!." Juke smiles

"Ah thanks Fluke! You do treat me better then these two" He said gesturing to Hollow and Rage, who look a little bit offended at this accusation.

"Hey wow what the hell does that mean Juke?" Rage angrily questions

"You blew up my hoverlight!" He responds, Rage and Hollow slightly taken aback as they remember they forgot to recollect it. "That hurt you know!" Juke added.

"Oh don't be so melodramatic, you don't feel pain you're an AI!" Rage replied.

"...I have feelings though" He mumbled back. Evanz let out a large sigh

"Juke for the last time, you don't I didn't program you any!"

"Well that's just your negligence isn't it" Juke stated

"Imagine how bad you'd be if I did give you some" Evanz added

"Well I might be able to enjoy those rubbish soppy films you try to make me watch with you"

"I told you not to talk about that Juke!" Evanz worriedly responded

"WILL EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Gubiak shouted, obviously sick and tired of the bickering. The room fell silent as they all looked over at him. "There is a reason i've told you all to come here" he stated after a few seconds of silence. Everyone took a step forward towards the map. "We've found a way to take down the spire" The room froze.


	4. Chapter 4 - Bomb Scars

**Chapter 4**

**Bomb Scars**

* * *

Gubiak kept his hands firmly crossed in front of his chest, staring at each person in the room with the iron gaze he'd perfected over his years in charge. Evanz, on the opposite side of the circular holographic map couldn't keep still; his fingers almost constantly twitching by his sides as his eyes darted around the room, then back to the floor. Juke still kept a slightly disgruntled mope on his face yet remained silent, knowing this was no time to interrupt as Rage, Hollow and Fluke stood, still in shock. Hollow's eyes had grown wide as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his jaw whilst staring directly back at Gubiak with a look of shock. Rage carried a sense of disbelief, his face mirroring the thousands of questions racing through his head at this moment yet his mouth unable to form any of them into words. Fluke had lost all sense of his enthusiasm, as he looked over at Gubiak, then to Evanz and Juke. The silence continued to hang over the room, the only sounds the hum of the technology that surrounded them and the distant radio chatter of those around the perimeter of the room piercing the air. Hollow, his eyes never lowering from Gubiak's broke the air, his voice a mix of fear and shock.

"You mean THE spire. Right?" He questioned through gritted teeth. Gubiak silently nodded, meeting Hollow's eyes dead on.

"well..of course he means THAT spire" Rage spoke up, although his eyes continuously darted around the room and his voice was soft and distant. "I mean...what other spire is there?"

"I just needed to make sure you weren't fucking around Gubiak" Hollow continued, taking a step closer. Gubiak stood proudly, his arms still tightly crossed as Hollow approached him. Fluke, lost in his own world, took a few steps towards the map whilst staring firmly at the center. His eyes and face one of pain as he stared at the tall centerpiece of the hologram. The sharp jagged spire that rose from the Earth's surface and towered above all the land around it still seemed imposing even on a much smaller scale, extending high into the air and dwarfing the hills and Encampment around it.

"I'm not 'fucking around' Hollow, you know I mean what I said" Gubiak spoke

"Well I know you know this sounds like a load of bullshit too" Hollow replied, still staring directly at Gubiak. "So did I" he calmly responded "When Evanz first told me about it." Gesturing with his head towards the quiet scientist in the back of the room, Hollow and Rage both turn to look as he stands nervously twitching and fiddling on the spot, eyes darting between the others in the room. Bringing his trembling human arm to his face, he strokes his chin as a nervous tick as he attempts to start to form words. "I...there..." He states, before clearing his throat as Hollow and Rage turn to get closer and face him. "We think we've found...found a way to collapse the structure" he continues, clenching his hands together whilst still looking around the room. "A bomb has been developed that can puncture certain supports and bring it toppling down on itself." He looks up at Hollow and Rage, for the first time keeping a steady gaze. "We think we can win this war".

"Why now?" Rage spoke, his voice much steadier than before, given a moment for the initial shock to wear off. "What's changed? We've always had weapons, always had bombs"

"We've never had the right bombs" Evanz replied

"What, we've only been using the left ones?"Rage countered, finding his sense of humour with his voice. Evanz however, still uncomfortable with the conversational confrontation ignored the joke and stated "All these years since we've been studying and using their crystals, their materials we only ever analysed certain aspects of it. Namely, how much damage they can do" His voice grew in confidence as he continued talking "We could put them in weapons, vehicles, technology and use them but we never broke them apart. We never found out HOW to break them apart, we just found ways to manipulate them to do what we wanted them to do and we never once thought of how the materials inside them can be used wholly on larger things; entire vehicles, weapons, structures..." He looked over at Rage and Hollow again."Structures like the spire."

"So you're telling us that huge building is made up of the power crystals?" Hollow responded with a sound of disbelief

"Not ENTIRELY no, nor technically. But it's similar particles, similar build structure" Evanz replied

"Similar but not the same?"

"The same in all the ways we need it to be"

"The ways being, blowing it up?"

Evanz Nodded, a slight smile on his face. "We've designed a bomb using a chemical found underground. I won't get into the specifics because i'd hate to bore you but it is a type of crystallic residue left behind by the terraforming the Ragicans have been doing, Peace has been collecting samples and we should have it built within a few days." Hollow and Rage stood in amazement as they looked over at each other, their faces calmer and for the first time since entering; understanding and hopeful.

"We might have the weapon this time" Fluke spoke for the first time, still staring directly into the center of the holographic map. His voice was soft and pained, his eyes heavy. "But last time...last time we learnt what happens when we try to get close" His face twitched as surges of emotion passed over and his hand tightened around the edge of the map. Hollow, Rage and Evanz fell silent again as they looked on sympathetically towards the pilot. Gubiak, from the other side of the map spoke calmly "Fluke, that was a long time ago" he stated as Fluke's eyes quickly darted up, a mix of pain and pure anger as he stared from under his brow at Gubiak. "Yeah well it's hard to forget." Gubiak looks on, opening his stance and resting forward on the map and relaxing his normally very strict and powerful posture. "No one's asking you to Forget Fluke"

"No but you're gonna ask me to go back there aren't you?" His voice became more aggressive and progressively louder "You're gonna ask me to tell my crew to follow me into a place where I lost the last one. Fuck, only reason i'm still here is cos of what Jake did for me" he added, the emotions coursing through his speech as he rose to his feet and began almost shouting "I carry around the pain of what happened then every-single-fucking day and you're gonna ask me to do it again?!" He turned to Evanz as he ran a hand through his messy blond hair and across his face to attempt to curb his emotions" Now, you can talk all day about a bomb that can wipe out the spire but as far as i'm concerned that means fuck all unless you have a way to get us in and out because i'm not risking my crew getting killed or worse." The room was silent as Fluke stared directly at Evanz, his fist clenched as a way to relieve the anger but directed at no one other than himself bought up by memories of the past. Rage and Hollow stood on the sidelines out of the way as even Juke looked startled, waiting for a response from Evanz. However Gubiak interrupted from the other side of the map, still with a calm and sympathetic voice "We have a way Fluke" as he rose up to his feet slowly "and Evanz can show you" he added, gesturing to the scientist. All eyes turned to him as he looked up at Fluke and slowly reached over to the interface panel on his robotic arm. Cracking a nervous half-smile he pressed a button and then, disappeared.

Everyones face fell into one of astonishment as Rage's jaw dropped "HOLY CRAP EVANZ CAN TELEPORT" He shouted

"Not teleport Rage" Evanz replied his voice seemingly coming from thin air exactly where he was stood. "Invisible then? I still keep my HOLY CRAP" Rage responded, as a second later Evanz reappeared on the exact spot he'd vanished from. "We can put this on your ship, you'll be completely undetectable from the Ragicans." Fluke had calmed down a lot since his recent outburst but was still obviously pent up as Evanz took a few steps forward "Look, we have the tech and it can get us in and out safely. You just have to trust me" Evanz added, before standing right in front of Fluke.

"If it's worth anything, it does actually work" Juke chimed in, his voice a mix of elegance and sarcasm. "Which is strange for Evanz" he continued, as Evanz cut an angry glare at the hologram. Fluke smiled and let out a slight laugh under his breath as he looked up at the inventor. "Hey" he stated, getting Evanz's attention "if you say it works, and you promise they'll be safe. I trust you" Fluke added. Evanz smiled and nodded "I promise"

"Soooooooooo" Rage interrupted, gathering everyones attention as he looked around the room. "What's the plan?"


	5. Chapter 5 - On Leave

**Chapter 5**

** On Leave**

* * *

Hollow sat in his small iron cabin in the depths of the heart of The Lady Vengeance. It's frame iron and barely decorated with a neat and ordered selection of everything he used and everything he held dear around the room. A single rounded window let a beam of light illuminate the slow floating dust and bring with it a sense of hope and calm. A cabinet, his armour neatly packed on top and his rifle resting against the side. He lay on his bed propped against the cold steel wall behind him, thumbing through the pages of a book as his eyes darted from word to word losing himself in another novel. Its pages old and crisp, he found a sense of solace and comfort in escaping into its paragraphs. Suddenly, from down the corridor he heard Rage's voice echo loudly "GET BACK HERE!" which made him blink, stumble and lose his place on the page and with it, his almost unwavering calm. "OH NO DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND GET OUT AGAIN!" Rage continued, before making several large clunking and banging sounds. Sighing and rising to his feet, Hollow put his book down and walked over to his heavy steel door, swinging it shut and locking it leaving Rage as nothing more than a muted, distant rumbling Turning round, he walked back over to his bed and reached down to pick up his book. Before he sat down his eyes glanced over to the only decoration on the otherwise solid-grey walls. Close to the top of the bed a single photo hung of him. He stood, smiling amongst a blue sky and a beautiful girl with long, fiery red hair and a coy grin hugged him from behind. In the corner, delicately signed "I'll be with you. Forever x." A small smile broke over his face before he lay back down on the bed and began reading from where he left off.

* * *

"Aylia you are SO much more trouble then you're worth!" Rage yelled as he slammed his door closed and turned back into hi room "but there's no way out now! Ha!" He added, seemingly shouting at nothing but his incredibly messy room. Unlike Hollow, clothes were scattered all over as his guns lay across his heavily dishevelled bed. A mix of scorch marks and posters covered his walls with several different themes creating a sense of visual chaos. Towards one side of his room stood a large glass vivarium that contained a mix of plants and dirt. However it was currently missing it's sole habitant. "Come on Aylia! I just wanted to feed you, why you gotta do this every time?!" he spoke as his eyes nervously darted around the entire room. After a few seconds of silence he heard a slight rustling to see the small spotted leopard gecko poke its little head out from amongst some clothes. Rage threw himself forward managing to clutch the tiny reptile in his hands before she could make her great escape; her small head poking out and darting around. "Got you now!" he gleefully mused as he bought her up to his face, smiled then put her back inside her home as she scuttled around. Throwing in a cricket for her dinner he turned back to his room and sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "This was neat twenty minutes ago, you are more trouble then you're worth Aylia" He moaned, before turning his head to look at her devouring a cricket as she turned her big black eyes up to face him. He smiled "aww I couldn't stay mad at you...but you're not being let out again." Seemingly either unenthused by his response, or not interested, she turned back to her meal before darting under a rock to hide.

* * *

Ashley sat in front of his large monitors that streamed a constant buzz of words, numbers and codes. His desk curved round and stood in front of a large window that gave him a tremendous view across the entire ship. He sat in his high backed black chair, typing frantically on his keyboard before wheeling it sideways to take note of numbers on another monitor, then heading back to type in more information. The numbers and words never stopped darting and dancing across the screen as his eyes took in seemingly limitless information. Stopping briefly he pulled out a small box from under his desk and placed it on the table. Flipping open its lid he pulled out tobacco, papers, some card and a clump of marijuana which he began to expertly roll into a joint. From behind him, the large doors parted as Gubiak stepped in and walked up to the desk. Ashley paused, looked up at his companion and instantly noticed his solemn expression; one he'd unfortunately become all too familiar with recently. Gubiak stared ahead at the monitors, his eyes stern yet his face contorted slightly. The image of a man who had seen the things men should never see. He took a few steps over to a wall where a giant board stood, on it the names of almost a hundred different ships and vessels were listed. Almost all of them were crossed off. Slowly reaching down he picked up a black pen before crossing off three more as Ashley watched from the background. His hand lingers and hangs as he draws the last line through. Only a small handful of ships left from the once impressive fleet. Replacing the pen he sighs heavily, as Ashley finishes rolling behind him and places the spliff in his mouth ready to light it. "We're losing" Gubiak states over his shoulder, his hands firmly by his sides. Slightly taken aback by the hearty chuckle he hears from behind him, he turns to face Ashley who is taking a long drag. Removing it from his mouth he replies "You say that as if we were winning once" before smiling and exhaling. A smirk passes across Gubiak's face as his friends cynicism brings with it a sense of odd reassurance, reaching into his pocket he pulls out a hip-flask full of a strong polish vodka and takes a large swig.

* * *

The bar was noisy and alive with the sound and song of drunken revellers. Its walls beige and peeling with dozens of ornaments of the old world as decoration. Its many chairs taken by a mix of old and young, survivors and scavengers all enjoying the strong drinks as a way of escaping their troubles and cutting loose. At the bar, and with his deep american drawl now slurred from the large amount of alcohol consumed, Tyde sat heartily laughing and joking with nearby survivors that wanted to hear tales of the famed crew of Songbird. "Oh man lemme tell ya we were THIS CLOSE to gettin all our guts ripped out by a baby votor because SOMEONE got the egg mixed up with our food supply" He bellowed out to the group of equally drunk revellers that had gathered around the large man. Taking a swig of his drink, which he then slammed back down onto the already booze-soaked bar he turned a broad hand around and tapped the shoulder of Fluke who was next to him, facing the bar. "And who did that huh fluke?!" Tyde drawled, the turn of his head causing him to have to drunkenly regain focus over a few seconds. "Tyde that was you" Fluke responded with a laugh as he picked up his own drink and took a swig, leaving the big guy to spend a few seconds trying to piece it all together in his alcohol-hindered state. His face contorted into one of confusion, it was quickly interrupted by his bellowing laugh before he turned back to the group, "Oh yeah I guess that WAS me!" as his attentive audience also laughed. He picked up his drink, downed the remnants and gave the mug back to the bartender who knew the American well enough to get him a new round. "Either way, it tasted delicious!" he finished and the entire group began laughing together. It was hard not to, his upbeat demeanour was infectious. Fluke however still dwelled on what was said before and what lay ahead. Finishing his drink off he looked up at the bartender as he gave him the empty glass "Graves can you make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble and gets back in one piece?" Fluke stated, half joking. The barman smiled and nodded as Fluke picked himself up, patted Tyde on the shoulder to say goodnight and headed out. Passing through the room several people waved and said hello with smiles, attention the talented captain normally relished but tonight there was too much on his mind.

He walked along the long metal corridors that housed a large amount of the ships inhabitants. Salvaged from old sea-ships and tankers they had a thick metal design that carried with it a sense of safety and inhumanity. His footsteps echoed down the empty corridor as he passed dozens of locked doors until finally stopping outside one. Decorated with cute drawings and childlike images of animals, fluke peered in through the circular porthole on the door. Inside the room was a haven of soft with blankets and pillows everywhere. It's walls almost completely covered by pictures and drawings as the faint glow of fairy lights strung up around the corners of the room added a serene sense of comfort and peace. Curled up in a thick blanket and fast asleep on the bed Pocket lay her face poking out amongst the mountain of warmth. Fluke smiled at seeing his crew both enjoying himself although the thought of what was to come and where he had to take them quickly re-entered his mind as he looked to the floor. Memories of his crew before still haunted him and he swore it would never happen again. Picking himself up with a determined look on his face he headed down to the hanger where his ship was being fixed. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

* * *

"For the last time I KNOW what i'm doing you insensitive, grating piece of software now will you let me work in peace!" Evanz shouted at his glimmering blue companion who stood a few feet away projected from a circular platform. Sat inside the engine room of Songbird, Evanz was arm deep in a panel rearranging dozens of wires and cables in an almost madcap fashion. The AI sighed and crossed his arms "Fine but it doesn't mean i'm wrong" he responded in his typically sarcastic know-it-all tone. Rolling his eyes Evanz continued to plug various objects into each other before finally moving back and slamming the panel closed. Taking a few steps over he turned on a couple of switches before turning to face Juke. "Yeah well you being right doesn't mean i'm not either!" he snarkily replied before opening a large metal case and taking out a small, blue circular disc that glowed faintly. Returning to the wall panel next to the switches he plugged it into a flat panel on the wall and with a click it began to whir and turn as energy passed through it. "Right, finished. I hope" Evanz smiled before being interrupted by the smooth AI voice "You hope."

"You know one of these days, i'm going to remove you" Evanz replied as he begun walking out of the ship and into the hanger.

"You can't remove me, you'd be lost without my conversation. Who else would you talk to for hours about science and crystals that ACTUALLY understood you?" Juke stated as he passed from various different AI devices before finally ending up in a floating UFO similar that mirrored the miniature model, just with more features.

"Well then I can just replace you, I mean, A.K.A.S.H has been coming a long way" Evans smirked as Juke's face fell.

"You told me you stopped work on that!" The concern audible as Evanz only laughed in response. As they got out of the ship and into the hanger they were met by Fluke who walked over to the pair, interrupting their domestic. "Ah Fluke! Just in time, i'm about to test the new feature of songbird" Evanz stated, the excitement obvious in his voice as Fluke's face turned into one of a slight smirk.

"You say that every time, what is it now, new seats?" He quipped. Evanz paused a moment

"Well...Technically there ARE 5 more to hold the others but it's not JUST that. The invis mod is up and hopefully running, new engine ballasts which i'll need Tyde to go over" He replied before heading over to a nearby panel that housed dozens of keys and buttons for Evanz to remote test the new components. "Well you're gonna have to wait til morning, he isn't exactly in the clearest state at the minute" Fluke replied. Seemingly changing direction instantaneously, the mad scientist headed over to a nearby case and flipped it open. "Oh before I forget I made you this!" he says, turning to face the pilot, arm outstretched and clasping onto a metallic armguard. Almost an entire solid piece of metal, it twisted and curved beautifully with a large screen on the inside. Fluke took it from the beaming scientist inquisitively before turning it over in his hands "New armour?" he questioned

"A small part of, the rest is in the box behind. This however is a Songbird Operational Adjustment Remote or, S.O.A.R" Evanz responded, clasping his hands together in front almost unable to withold his excitement at explaining his latest creation. Fluke flicked a switch on the side which made the information panel light up and come to life. Small boxes, buttons and an ever moving gyroscope hologram projected from his wrist as numbers began to appear across the main display. He pressed a button. A large roar sounded throughout the hanger as Songbird's Engines came to life causing Fluke to startle for a split second before realising that it was him that started them. With a look like a kid at christmas he glanced up and smiled at Evanz, the inventor stood with a similar expression. "Complete remote access to most of Songbirds primary functions, including this" He said before reaching over and pressing a key on the panel causing Songbird to disappear. Fluke, still amazed at how his huge airship could seemingly vanish into thin air at a touch of a button on his wrist could only manage another smile as he looked up at where it once stood, pressed the same button Evanz had and turned off the invisibility. "You two are getting better at all this" He stated, directing it at both Evanz and Juke who seemed surprised to be included in the compliment.


End file.
